Niche Site Case Study: Update 4 (and what I’ve been up to lately)

Yes, I know, I know, it’s been another two months (almost three, actually) since the last update. But don’t worry, the case study is still plodding along. I’ve just been a bit busy with other sites and other things (like working on a comprehensive affiliate site course that details how to make thousands from your niche sites, like I do).

Where Have I Been?

Travelling! I took about four weeks off and did pretty much nothing (while earning over $10K from my Amazon niche sites). I spent some time on the East Coast of the US, as well as Canada. I took a lovely drive from Montreal to Quebec City and I think that they actually have better fall leaf colors up there than we do in the New England states here in the US. In fact, I want to spend more time up there next fall – that’s how beautiful it was!

Then, I decided to hop over to Europe for a couple of weeks to visit some of my favorite places, see a few new ones, and take in a concert in London. The photo up above is from my hotel room in Venice, Italy. I love it there and this was actually the first time that I didn’t get lost whilst wandering the streets! And I had the *best* basil pesto pasta there this time!

Overall, it was a fun trip. In addition to Venice and London, I spent some time in Rome, Vienna, Prague, Brussels, and Innsbruck. And, on the flight from Rome to London, there was an amazing view of the Alps out the plane window.

Pretty sweet, eh? Travel like this is how I spend most of my money from my niche sites. And, part of the reason that I visited Prague is that I was evaluating it as a potential place to move to – they apparently have a self-employed visa that makes it easy for Americans to live there. While I enjoy the city, and will certainly return, I don’t think it’s a good fit for me living there.

But, back to niche sites!

What Have I Done On The Case Study Sites Since Update #3?

Honestly? Not a whole lot, but more than the last time!

I outsourced a wee bit of content to beef up the sites a bit. My goal was to fill the front page of each site with informational articles so that I can start some outreach. I figure the less they look like affiliate sites, the easier the outreach for linkbuilding will be. I have not started that outreach yet though.

No new backlinks this time.

Growth is still on an upward trend. Woo hoo!

Income

Yes, the part you really care about! So, here’s a look at the earnings for each case study site:

Case Study Site #1 Income

April: $14.19

May: $22.07

June: $185.11

July: $273.17

August: $390.37

September: $260.14

Case Study Site #2 Income

April: $1.77

May: $2.26

June: $75.42

July: $156.37

August: $199.14

September: $196.08

I know what you’re thinking – both sites earnings are down for September, especially site #1. Not to worry. Site #1 is in a seasonal niche that trends in the summer and again for the winter holidays. Site #2 is evergreen.

I’m not worried about the earnings decline, because I know that it is trending back up. But I’m really excited to see what the holiday shopping season brings as I don’t have other sites in either of these niches!

As for expenses, honestly I can’t be arsed to calculate it right now. But – I do know that site #1 is still profitable and that site #2 has seen additional expenses (content). So, site #2 is still not profitable. Not a big deal though as I saw a site in this exact niche sell on Empire Flippers a month or so ago for six figures – and it was kind of a shitty site. But, that really shows me the potential of site #2.

What’s To Come?

Going forward, I’ll be focusing on white hat linkbuilding for these two sites, as well as adding more content. I’ve already done some guest posting backlinks for site #2, so I will likely try to do a bit more of that, as well as test some other things.

I’ll also be busy working on my niche site course, which will be available in a couple of months. If you want to be in the discounted beta pricing group, just message me to get on the list and you’ll be one of the first students at the lowest possible cost.